The Study
Normal glycosylated hemoglobin masking glucose dysregulation in a patient with pancreatic and hematologic disease
This is like telling one person's medical story. It helps doctors notice rare patterns but doesn’t prove why things happened. We can’t say if the same thing would happen to others.
Analysis score
Maximum 30 for a case report.
Where the score came from
Sometimes, a blood test for diabetes called HbA1c can look normal even when blood sugar is too high. This happened to a woman with other health problems like pancreatic cysts and a blood condition linked to inflammation.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 524 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even with a normal diabetes test, someone can still have dangerous high blood sugar if they have certain health conditions.
- 2Her HbA1c was 4.7% (normal), but her real-time sugar monitor showed spikes over 200 mg/dL.
- 3A sugar drink test also showed high levels.
- 4Her blood cells may not live long enough to show sugar damage on the HbA1c test.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
JCEM Case Reports
Year
2026
Authors
Jean Carlos Ramos Cardona, Jacqueline Rodriguez Gilmore, Tathana Rivera Hernandez, Suzanne Quinn Martinez
Related Content
Claims (5)
Even if someone’s blood sugar test (HbA1c) looks normal, doctors might still find high blood sugar using other tests like CGM or OGTT—especially if they have certain health issues like inflammation or pancreas problems.
Sometimes, changes in blood cells that happen as people age might mess with blood sugar readings, even if their blood is otherwise healthy.
Some people with chronic inflammation and certain blood and pancreas conditions might have normal blood sugar readings on standard A1c tests, even though their actual blood sugar is high — because inflammation makes red blood cells die faster, so there's less time for sugar to stick to them.
Some types of cysts or tumors in the pancreas might mess with blood sugar control, even if a person doesn’t have diabetes or obvious pancreas problems.
Type 2 diabetes means your blood sugar stays too high over time, and doctors check this with two tests: one after you've fasted and another called HbA1c that shows how much sugar has been sticking to your red blood cells over the past few months.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.